"The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe is a story from the Romantic period about how no one can escape death. A horrible disease called the "Red Death" is sweeping the country and killing many people, so Prince Prospero hides in a fancy abbey with one thousand of his rich friends to avoid getting sick. They decide to throw a big masquerade ball in seven rooms, each decorated with a different color. But during the party, a strange person dressed like a plague victim shows up, scaring everyone. When Prince Prospero tries to fight this figure, he dies, showing that you can't run away from death. Eventually, everyone at the party dies from the disease they were trying to avoid, teaching the main lesson: money and power can't protect you from dying.
The Masque of the Red Death
By Edgar Allan Poe
Inside a secluded abbey, a prince and his guests find that wealth is no shield against the grim reaper when a mysterious plague-ridden figure crashes their elaborate masquerade.
Summary
About the AuthorEdgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States, and of early American literature. Poe was one of the country's first successful practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre. In addition, he is credited with contributing significantly to the emergence of science fiction. He is the first well-known American writer to earn a living by writing alone, which resulted in a financially difficult life and career.
Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States, and of early American literature. Poe was one of the country's first successful practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre. In addition, he is credited with contributing significantly to the emergence of science fiction. He is the first well-known American writer to earn a living by writing alone, which resulted in a financially difficult life and career.
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